Big Leaguers Notebook: July 21

Granderson bonds with late Tigers fan's family

 Curtis Granderson follows his own 10 rules to "be all he can be," so it's second nature to him to pay tribute to Brian Bluhm, a Tigers fanatic who followed Granderson in the Minor Leagues before he was killed in the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech, and develop a lasting bond with Bluhm's family. "The first thought after [the Virginia Tech shooting] was, 'This is at a college. All of these kids could have done something in the future and we'll never know,'" said Granderson. "And then the thought of, 'You have to move on, but how do you?' Everybody's existence is important, no matter what, so given the opportunity to show the importance of who this person was and his family and that they are just like you and me... It's amazing how someone I never met can be that impactful."

"The fact that [Granderson] would remember my brother and think about my family and the difficult time that we still go through is very kind," said Bluhm's sister. "It warms your heart to think that there are people who really do care out there." (ESPN.com)

 Brian Wilson's beard has a slogan, a Twitter account (Twitter) and now its own official Topps baseball card (ESPN.com). Next up: World domination.

 D-backs All-Star Justin Upton and baseball's RBI program gave Joplin, Mo., Little Leaguers the chance to escape the worries of rebuilding their tornado-ravaged hometown and just be kids at the recent All-Star Game festivities. "They were having fun out on that field and having a fantastic experience," said Upton, who surprised the kids with a visit and their own baseball clinic at the All-Star FanFest. "It was cool for me. We presented them medals. They were really excited, and I was glad I could be part of that." (SI.com)

 Check out this tour of the Citi Field dugout, where Mets players have "a no-trash-can rule," an endless supply of Dubble Bubble and four telephones, just in case someone wants to call the bullpen, the press box and order a pizza all at the same time. (The Wall Street Journal)

 Braves infielder Brooks Conrad knows what it's like to be broke in the Minors, make three errors in a single playoff game and booed by 53,000 people. But for Conrad, it doesn't matter if he was a 30-year old rookie, the smallest guy on the team or the 25th man on the roster. All that matters is that he knows how lucky he is to have his family and the opportunity to play baseball. (The Post Game)